KZN hospital managers moved

Durban - Four KwaZulu-Natal hospital managers would be redeployed following a public outcry about the state of the facilities they were overseeing, the provincial health department said on Friday.

Hospital managers from King Edward, Mahatma Ghandi, Addington and Prince Mshiyeni hospitals would be redeployed, said KwaZulu-Natal health department head Sibongile Zungu.

"This does not only touch hospital CEOs but also other support management.

"The decision was influenced by a number of patients' and public complaints… The department decided to respond," said Zungu.

Zungu said negotiations with three of the managers were still taking place while the Addington hospital redeployment had been finalised.

"A new team of managers would be taking over at Addington hospital. No specified date had been set," said Zungu.

Broken facilities

Addington hospital, which was earmarked as Durban's 2010 World Cup hospital to treat any patients injured during the event, came under fire earlier this month. A security officer at the hospital allegedly denied a man entry at the emergency unit. The man later died.

King Edward hospital, which was 74-years old, had to close six operating theatres in February due to a delay in maintenance checks.

It also emerged that the hospital's air conditioning system and lifts were not working, while lights were broken and the ceiling had collapsed in two wards.

Zungu said redeploying the managers was a punitive measure but the department had taken into consideration the environment they worked in as well as their capability.

"We therefore believe their abilities to carry out the job had eroded… Redeploying (the managers) would be developing them to perform better," said Zungu.

Hospital worker facing rape charge

Mahatma Ghandi in Phoenix also had its fair share of problems.

In March a hospital employee was arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl at the admissions office.

The man was out on bail and the department was investigating the case.

On Tuesday KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo visited Prince Mshiyeni hospital in Umlazi where a decomposed body of a woman was found lying in the hospital hall.

It was still unclear how the woman’s body, covered in a blanket with a pencil and a ruler by her side, ended up in the hall.

Managing a hospital 'difficult'

Dhlomo also had to launch an investigation at the hospital after the body of a baby went missing in January.

“Managing a hospital is a difficult task. The environment is very complex it requires a good combination of technical and managerial skills,” said Zungu.

She said looking after people from the time they are in the womb to the time they are in a mortuary was not easy.

“We will use a combination of various models and people skills to ensure we carry out high quality systems of health care in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Zungu.